The Dragon Children: Stories not yet Legend
by Misty Dawn Tomorrow
Summary: The Mystery Kids Skyrim AU.
1. PrologueChopping Block

Chapter 1. Chopping Block

All Norman could here was the clopping of hooves on a worn road. As he slowly gained consciousness, he saw a grown-up Nord man with his hands bound at the wrists. Looking down, he saw his own hands bound. He was also wearing rags, instead of his usual white shirt and red hooded coat. _'No, no how could I let this happen? I was supposed to stay safe, my mother-_ "Hey you, little boy." The Nord man was looking at him expectantly. "You were trying to cross the border, right?"

Norman nodded in confirmation. "Yeah, um, how did I get here?"

"I'm afraid you walked right into that imperial ambush, same as is, along with that little thief and that da... young elf."

Norman took note of that slip up that almost sounded like a swear, and looked to his right. Across from him was a young, chubby imperial boy with curly red hair, also dressed in rags, who seemed a little too cheerful, considering the circumstances. The boy caught him staring and gave Norman a warm smile.

"Hi, I'm Neil. What's your name?" Neil gave him a look of encouragement.

"Nor...Norman." This kid seemed completely harmless. He supposed that charisma would make him a pretty good thief, but Norman had nothing to steal... at least, nothing that could be seen at the moment. Was it possible that the redheaded boy just wanted to talk?

"And what about you?" Neil looked at the girl on his right, a little Altemer girl with long black hair and light blue eyes, who seemed quite reserved. She was dressed in simple brown clothing. She glanced at him, but quickly looked back down at her hands without saying a word.

"Aw, don't be shy, I don't bite." No response.

This didn't discourage Neil in the slightest, as he immediately looked over to Norman's right, smiling at another adult male Nord. This one had his mouth gagged, for some reason. No one else in this cart, or the one in front of them, could say the same. Why?

"So, what's your story? And what's with the gag-up?"

The younger adult Nord glared at Neil sternly. "Mind your tongue, boy. You are speaking to Ulfric Stormcloak, the true High King."

Norman frowned. "Who?"

The young Altemer girl started figeting anxiously. She seemed pretty scared.

Neil also seemed to know who he was talking about, and while he didn't look... scared, per say, he did slump a little.

"Well, if he's here, and we're here, and the Imperials got us... so, Norman, put any thought into your afterlife?"

"What?!" He looked over to the Nord man. "What's going on? Where-Where are they taking us?"

The Nord man looked at Norman with pity, just as the gates to a stronghold opened up. A man mentioned something about a headsman, and then it all became clear. They were going to be executed. Why? All he did was cross a border. He was 11. Why would they execute a refugee? A child? He looked at the shaking Altemer girl and the slightly less bubbly Neil, and a hint of resentment bubbled up inside of him, but he bit it down. Resentment never got him anywhere. In fact, resentment was the reason his mom was probably... he couldn't bring himself to finish the thought.

"Look at him. General Tullius, the Military Governer. And it looks like the Thalmor are with him. Damn, elves, I bet they had something to do with this." He looked at the three children, and sighed. "This is Helgan. My home, Riverwood, is not far from here. Where are you from?"

Norman looked up at him. "I'm from a small town in Cyrodiil. My mom sent me here, to her homeland, in hopes of escaping the persecution of Talos worshippers, but... well, here I am."

Neil spoke up as they neared the end of the Hold. "I grew up in Riften. I heard tales of a legendary archer thief in Cyrodiil who stole from the rich and gave to those who didn't have enough to live on. I wanted to be that guy. But-" The wagon stopped. "I guess it's the end of the line. Oh well, I lived a good one."

The Altemer girl said nothing, but... she was crying. Why was she here? What did she do?

An imperial woman dressed in heavy armor stepped up to their wagon and ordered everyone to exit the wagon. Everyone got off. An Imperial man stood beside her, holding a list.

"Empire loves their damn lists." The kind Nord man told them bitterly.

Norman looked around. There was a large crowd surrounding them. His mother and father had told him about public executions, but he never really understood why people watched them. Fascination, curiosity, maybe bloodlust he supposed. It was mostly grown-ups, but he noticed two short, identically sized figures wearing novice mage cloaks, one in a rich light blue, the other an unusual shade of bright pink. Why would a mage wear pink? Their faces were hidden, but their uncomfortable body language gave off the impression that they really didn't want to be here.

"When I call your name, step forward." The Imperial man called out. "Ulfric Stormcloak, Jarl of Windhelm." The gagged man walked forward, nearly knocking Norman over. _Jarl, where have I heard that before?_ Norman pondered.

"It has been an honor, Jarl Ulfric," the Nord man said respectfully.

"Ralof of Riverwood." The Nord man stepped forward.

"Neil Downe, of Riften." Neil stepped forward, but not before giving Norman an encouraging smile.

"Don't worry, we're still kids, I don't think any of us is going to end up someplace bad. Maybe we could be friends there, too. See you soon?"

Norman couldn't believe this kid's optimism. Here they were, about to be killed, and this kid, who couldn't be more than 10, was just thinking about being friends with him after they died. It wasn't fair.

Neil looked up at the Imperial Captain. "Ma'am, is it alright if I write a letter to home, first? I don't want them to worry."

The captains cold eyes softend a bit, and reached into her satchel and pulled out a quill, an inkwell, and a piece of parchment, and removed his bindings. "Make it quick." Neil sat down on the wagon and started writing. "Make sure he doesn't try anything." She told a soldier. She looked to the Imperial man. "Hadvar, continue."

Hadvar looked at his list, and narrowed his eyes. He looked up at the Altemer girl, then back to his list.

"Agatha Pendergast, traitor to the Aldmari Dominion." He looked at her again, bewildered. "You're just a child."

Eyes from the crowd turned to her. Agatha whimpered. "I didn't know..." she cried quietly. General Tullius looked at her in suprise.

"Keep a close eye on her." he told the captian.

"Yes, General Tullius."

Hadvar looked at the list, then at Norman. "You there, step forward."

Norman hesitantly stepped forward, unnerved, confused, and scared.

"Who are you?" Hadvar asked.

"I'm Norm..." he gulped. "I'm Norman, Norman Babcock."

"You picked a bad time to return home to Skyrim, kid." He looked at the Imperial Captain. "Captian, what should we do, he's not on the list."

"Forget the list, he goes to the block. All three of them."

"But they're childr-"

"I am the captain, now do as I say!"

"By your orders." He looks to Neil, still scribbling on his note, Agatha sobbing quietly, mumbling something that sounds like a plea, Norman, whose expression was too complex to read, and Ralof, his old friend who became a traitor over his beliefs _. It's times like this I wish that our laws weren't so unyielding..._ I am sorry, I will make sure that your remains are returned home." He looked to Agatha. "I will do what I can for you."

General Tullius stood in front of Ulfric. "Ulfric Stormcloak, some here in Helgan call you a hero. But a hero doesn't use a power like The Voice to murder his king and usurp his throne. You started this war, plunged skyrim into Chaos, and now the Empire is going to put you down, and restore the peace!"

Neil just got his parchment taken way, after being asked where he wanted it to be mailed. Neil gave the address of his house in Riften, and the guard hastely wrote the address as given. They bound his hands again.

A loud, foreign sound, like a roar, echoed across the sky. Everyoned looked up, even Agatha, although briefly.

"What was that?" A Hadvar asks.

"It's nothing, carry on." General Tullius orders.

"Yes, General Tullius." The captian looks to a priestess. "Give them their last rites."

The Priestess walks to the block, and utters a prayer. As she utters the words,"... blessings of the eight divines upon you...", one of the Stormcloak soldiers steps up to the chopping block.

"Oh, for the love of Talos, shut up and let's get this over with."

"As you wish." She tells him.

The headsman placed the man on the chopping block.

"Come on, I haven't got all morning." The Stormcloak told him.

 _Why does he want to die?_ Norman thought to himself. He looked over at Agatha, tears still streaming down her face, an expression of horror and fear overcoming her. She closed her eyes.

"My ancestors are smiling at me, Imperials, can you say the same?" he asked them. The headsman lifted his axe. Norman turned his gaze down, a sickening _TWACK_ filled the air, and he looked up. The man's severed head tumbled into the little wooden box, as the headsman moved the body out of place with his foot. Norman felt a sense of horror, disgust, and only more confusion. Why? Why is this a vaild punishment for something like crossing a border or picking a pocket!? "Next, the Nord boy." The captian commanded. Norman looked at her, shocked, as another loud, unfamiliar roar filled the sky.. "I said, next prisoner."

Hadvar gave him a comforting squeeze on the sholder. "To the block, kid, nice and easy. It'll be over before you know it." Hadvar genuinely looked sorry for Norman, and he couldn't bring himself to hate him. It wasn't his fault.

Norman walked up to the chopping block, his body shaking with apprehension and anxiety. Hadvar stood in front of him, as the headsman pushed him down with his foot. Norman let out a shaky sigh, and silently prayed to Talos and Arkay. The loud roar rang out again, this time seemingly very near.

"What in Oblivion is THAT?!"

 ** _Meanwhile..._**

"Finally, Helgan. Whiterun can't be more than a day's walk from here." A bluenette Nord girl, dressed in iron heavy armor, held the map in front of her best friend, a Redguard boy with wild hair and unusual hazel green eyes, also dressed in steel.

"That's great, Jonesy." He didn't seem to be paying attention. The girl socked him in the shoulder. "OW!" He rubbed his arm, not all that hurt.

"What's with you today, Wybie? You seem distracted." She gave him a stern, but concerned look.

He sighed. "I... we've been walking for days... I-I was just expecting something interesting to happen, th-that's all."

A loud roar sang out. The duo heard heavy wingbeats from above them. The girl shoved him to the side of the road as a giant creature flew ahead of them, heading straight towards Helgan.

"By the eight," Wybie gasped, watching as the giant lizard flew into the highest tower. "Uh, Coraline, what should we..." he looked to where Coraline was standing next to him, but she already had her mace drawn, shield in hand, running straight to the open gates of Helgan. "You know, there's a difference between heroism and suicide." Wybie muttered to himself as he followed her, his own shield and sword at the ready.


	2. Escape from Helgan Pt 1

Norman couldn't tell what was happening. One second he was about to get his head chopped off, then a giant monster knocked the headsman off balance, and the next: complete chaos.

"Get the town's people to safety!" The general ordered.

"Come on, boy, the gods won't give us another chance!" Ralof told him. Neil was by his side before he could process, lifting him up to his feet. Agatha was already running towards the open door, not wasting a moment. Norman stumbled, but found his footing as he followed Agatha, Ralof and Neil into the watchtower. Fire was raining down from the sky, wooden houses already set alight. Before the door closed he noticed two new people running into Helgan. _What in the name of Talos...?_

"Jarl Ulfric, what is that thing? Could the legends be true?" Ralof asked his leader, beyond concerned.

"Legends don't burn down villages." Ulfric replied.

Norman glanced over to the severly wounded Stormcloak soldiers, the gravity of the situation finally dawning on him. Agatha grabbed his bounded wrists and pulled him up the stairs, with Neil following close behind. As they reached the top, her elven ears twitched and she pulled the boys back, just as the monster came crashing through the stone wall, killing a Stormcloak man instantly. The beast let out a couple of noises that almost sounded like words, as fire expelled from it's mouth.

"Wait, how did you get your hands untied?" Neil asked the Altemer girl. She she showed them the rope that once held her bound wrists. It was charred and mostly ash.

"I know magic." she said simply.

"You children should get out of here!" Ralof told them, pointing to a burning building. "There's an inn up ahead. jump down to it and get to the keep. Don't worry, I'll meet you there as soon as I can."

Agatha jumped down with ease. Norman stumbled a little, but managed to land on his feet. Neil fell on his face, barely making it.

"Oh, are you alright?" Agatha knelt down and looked at Neil in concern.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Nothing's broken... I think." He pinched his nose. "Ow. Yep, not broken." He smiled reassuringly.

She smiled in relief, and looked to the sky. "We should leave, before that dragon finishes the executioner's job."

 ** _Meanwhile..._**

"Mabel, we can't fight this thing, we have to leave!" A breton boy insisted, turning to his twin.

"Oh sure, NOW we have to leave! Where was that mentality at the Chopping block?!" Mabel exclaimed. She summoned her familiar, mentally telling it to protect the citizens. " _I_ wanted to leave _hours_ ago!"

The townspeople were running and screaming in all directions, many lay dying close by. Mabel felt sick as burned flesh filled her nose. Dipper wasn't doing so well, either. A burning wooden pole almost collapsed on them as they ducked and tumbled out of the way.

"Okay, okay, you were right! I'm sorry! But If we try to fight this thing, it'll kill us! We aren't strong enough yet!"

"Ugh, fine! Where to, Dipper?"

Dipper pulled out a map. "There's some tunnels under the keep. Since the other exits are blocked, it's our only safe way out." He put the map back in his bag.

"This way!" He motioned for his sister to follow him, as they took off toward the keep.

 ** _Meanwhile..._**

"Jonesy, this was the worst idea you've ever had!" Wybie plowed through the debris of the burning buildings trying to get out of the line of fire as quicky as possible, with Coraline closely behind. "What gave you the idea that we could fight this thing?!"

"I don't know, I just thought that we had to do something! What kind of heroes would we be if we didn't help fight monsters?" She swatted a chard piece wood away with her shield.

"I don't know... living ones?!" Wybie snapped. The people of Helgan were in chaos, many were screaming so loud he couldn't think, and many more were already dead or dying. He leapt toward the giant building, where a small group of people already seemed to be gathered. Five kids, a blonde Nord man, and an imperial scout. They took off into two groups, going into either one of two doorways. "There's someplace we can regroup. You know, aren't you usually the one to take charge?"

"Shut up, Wyborne."


	3. Escape from Helgan Pt 2

Norman, Neil, and Agatha followed Hadvar as he lead them to the Keep. Right before they made it, the blue and pink robed mages ran into them, knocking Norman and Agatha over, Neil too far behind to be affected.

"Agh, watch it!" The blue robed figure snapped, looking up at the Nord boy. "Hey, you're one of those kids that was going to be executed."

"You don't say?" Norman replied sarcastically.

Neil finally caught up, gasping. "Are... you guys... taking a break?"

Agatha picked herself up and brushed herself off. "No, we must reach the keep before we all become lunch for that beast." She reached out her hand to helphelp the pink clad mage to her feet.

They all ran after Hadvar, but before they could enter the Keep, Ralof met them in the middle.

"Ralof, you damned traitor, out of my way!"

"We're escaping, Hadvar, you're not stopping us, this time."

"Fine, I hope that dragon takes you all to Sovngarde!" Hadvar snapped.

They each ran to opposite ends, calling to the children to join them.

Norman looked to the others. "I don't know about you, but I'm going with Ralof." Neil and Aggie nodded in agreement. They looked to the Bretons.

The boy scoffed. "Yeah, I don't think so. That man is one of the people who helped start this war in the first place. Come on, Mabel, let's go with this Hadvar guy."

Mabel looked to the others apologetically as she followed her brother.

The groups went their separate ways, and entered the Keep.

 ** _...Meanwhile..._**

Ralof bent down next to the body of a fallen Stormcloak. "We'll meet again in Sovngarde, Brother." He stood up and turned to the children he met on the wagon, the ones those damn imperials were going to execute for petty crimes. His eyes briefly glanced at the Altemer girl. Well, not that being a traitor is a petty crime. What did one so young do to offend something so much bigger than all of them? He focused his attention on the task at hand. "That was a dragon, no doubt. The harbinger of the endtimes."

The imperial boy looked ecstatic. The elf looked like her suspicions had just been confirmed. The nord boy... His expression was unreadable.

"Here, let me get those bindings off." Ralof went to Neil and Norman respectively and cut the ropes that bound their hands. "You should take gunmar's gear, he won't be needing it anymore." He then walked to the side of the door and leaned against it.

 ** _Meanwhile..._**

Hadvar looked at the Breton twins. "So, are you from Hammerfell? Perhaps fleaing from some family court intrigue?"

Mabel gasped excitedly and opened her mouth to speak, but Dipper interupted her. "That is _our_ business, we're just trying to get out of this place as quickly and safely as possible, and you just happen to be-"

The door to the outside swung open, and two kids, a Redguard boy and a Nord girl with strange blue hair ran inside, both of them slamming the door behind them. Hadvar let go of the hilt of his sword, the sense of danger passed. "I don't recognize you two, either. What are you doing here?"

The boy collapsed on the ground, while the girl slumped against the door. The boy looked up at Hadvar, trying to catch his breath while he answered. "W...well... Jonesy had the... the craziest idea... to figh...fight that... giant lizard... and we kinda... kinda underestimated it. And n...

now we're just... trying to get out of here... in one piece."

"Jonesy?" Hadvar questioned.

"My name.. is Coraline." She breathed out.

"Alright then." Hadvar went to a chest and pulled out a key. "This should get us through the Keep." He unlocked the door to the main building. "You coming?" l he asked, looking at the four children expectantly. Coraline and Wybie stood up, and followed the twins and Hadvar into the main area.

 ** _Meanwhile..._**

They heard voices from the other side. Ralof drew his axe, pushing the children behind him, ready to fight and protect. The door opened, revealing Hadvar, those two young Breton mages, and... two more kids. Ralof still had a defensive stance, but cracked a small smile. "Since when did we become sitters for such little babes?"

Coraline and Dipper looked deeply offended.

Hadvar looked to the children standing behind Ralof, and the four behind him, and looked back to Ralof. "Truce. Just this once. To get us all out of here safely. Then when we get to Riverwood, I'll give you two hours to get out of town. For old times sake."

Ralof nodded in agreement, lowering his weapon. "Well, what are we waiting for?"


	4. Escape from Helgan Pt 3

Hadvar and Ralof led the way to the cellars, neither of them speaking to each other.

"Wow, these guys seem kind of tense." Neil wispered to Coraline, who was walking next to him.

"You think so?" She replied sarcasticly.

"Yeah, I'm sensing something off, anyway."

Coraline rolled her eyes and fell back to walk next to Wybie.

The awkwardness became too much for Mabel. "So... where's everybody headed?" she asked.

"Right now? We're getting out of here." Coraline replied.

Mabel huffed. "I meant after we get out of here."

Wybie spoke up. "Well, Coraline and I were heading to Whiterun. We're going to try to join the Companions."

Neil whistled. "That's ambitious."

"I'm sorry, I'm new. What's the Companions?" Norman asked.

"It's an elite group of fighters." Coraline replied. "The Companions are known throughout the land as the most skilled and renowned heroes. I wanted to be one of them since I was a little girl."

"Yeah, I'm not as eager as Jonesy is for the warrior aspect of the Companions." Wybie admitted. "I want to train as the apprentice of Eorlund Gray-Mane. His skills as a blacksmith are... legendary." Wybie had a dreamy expression.

Coraline bent down to loudly whisper in Mabel's ear. "He had a man-crush on him when he was ten." Mabel giggled.

"I DID NOT!" Wybie almost shouted, playfully shoving Coraline, to which they both laughed.

"Do you mind keeping it quiet back there?" Hadvar muttered.

"Don't want to draw any unwanted attention, now do we?" Ralof asked.

The laughter receded, but the group was a lot less tense than they were before.

Just as they reached another doorway, the dragon, as Ralof called it, gave off a ferocious roar, the ground shook, and the archway in front of them collapsed.

"Damn, that dragon does not give up easy..." Ralof exclaimed, after some debris almost landed on his foot.

"Ah, here we are." Hadvar opened the door. "There should be some potions and food for you to take. You might as well take everything you can find. It won't be much use to us now."

"How much of this was stolen as taxes?" Ralof muttered to Hadvar.

"None. These were all locally grown and made. And taxes aren't theft. The money is used to fix roads and pay for damages, and the food is preserved and put in storage in case of famine. Not everything you've heard about the empire since joining up with Ulfric is true."

Ralof didn't respond, but watched the kids scavenge.

Agatha picked up a frying pan, held it in one hand, gave it a few twirls, and held it in both hands as she swung at nothing. seeming satisfied, she put it into her bag.

Neil picked up all the gold he could find and quite a bit of food, but didn't seem interested in the weapons in the room. Neither did anyone else, for that matter.

Dipper and Wybie found the potions and split them between the group. Dipper, Mabel and Agatha received all the magicka potions, though.

"You ready?" Hadvar asked.

"As ready as we can be." Coraline answered.

"Great, let's go."

There was... a shocking lack of people down at the keep. However, they soon heard a zapping sound from a sparks spell.

"Oh, gods, a torture room!" Ralof exclaimed.

"Ugh, I wish we didn't need these." Hadvar muttered.

Agatha ran ahead without warning. Coraline drew her mace, ready to injure, and if it came down to it, kill.

The torturers just took out the last stormcloak, and now had their sights set on Ralof. Before they could attack, a loud _BANG_ sounded behind the assistant, as he collapsed to the ground. Before the other could turn around, the same sound echoed, and he collapsed. Behind them was Agatha, holding a frying pan. The torturers were knocked out cold.

"No fair! The first bad guys we come across and I don't even get to hit them!" Coraline complained.

"Don't worry, Jonesy, you'll get your shot." Wybie smiled as he patted her back.

"That's quite an arm you got there, elf." Ralof complimented. Agatha gave a small smile in reply.

Mabel eyed the locked cage with a dead mage inside. She shuddered at the thought of what they might have done to him, but pulled a lockpick from her satchel, and opened the door with ease. She grabbed the Sparks spellbook and coins, but left the body alone.

Dipper handed her a few more picks he found lying around. He also found his gaze wondering to a book titled, "Dragonborn". He picked it up, shrugged, and put it in his bag.

Neil's eyes landed on a longbow and quiver of arrows. He picked them up without a second thought.

"Okay, let's keep moving." Coraline ordered out of habit.

They found themselves in a dungeon-like cave. Coraline, Dipper and Hadvar became annoyed as Mabel stopped to pick the lock of every cell on the way. She was rewarded with some bonemeal and a pouch of gold.

Dipper glared at his sister. "That's nice and all, but have you forgotten that we're... I don't know... Fleeing for our lives?!"

"I just don't like seeing locked cages." Mabel replied, looking down at her satchel.

Dippers eyes softened as a secret understanding passed between them.

He gave her a hug. "Sorry for yelling."

"It's okay, bro-bro." Mabel smiled.

The dragon roared and the building shook for what felt like the fifth time that day.

"Okay, okay, this is a-a great family moment, and all, b-but could we possibly hurry up, before we get cr-crushed?" Wybie stuttered, a little panicky.

Norman had been quiet the whole time, watching his new companions, getting to know them, his trust growing. He spoke up. "That sounds like a good idea." Wybie sighed in relief.

They continued walking. Then there were voices. "We need to get out of Helgan!"

"No, our orders from general Tullius were to stay here in case anyone else tried to escape."

"What do we do? If they see Ralof's stormcloak uniform, they'll kill him." Norman looked to the others.

Mabel gasped excitedly and her eyes lit up as she reached into her satchel, and pulled out another Mage cloak, a deep green adult sized one, and threw it over Ralof. It even came with a hood to cover his head.

"There, now you look like you're with us!" She smirked at her own cleverness.

"Who's there?" An Imperial soldier asked from around the corner. "State your business."

"Let me do the talking." Hadvar wispered to them.

"It's Hadvar. I'm just escorting a group of children out of Helgan."

"Very well, move along."

The group quickly and quietly made their way to the exit.

"Wait a second... aren't those the children that were supposed to be executed?"

"RUN!" Ralof pulled the lever to lower the bridge. The guards were going too fast. Thinking quickly, Dipper cast flames to light the oil spill, blocking the way of the guards. One of them pulled out a bow and arrow, and took aim. He released it, and it nailed Norman in the shoulder.

It hurt. It hurt a lot. He pulled the arrow out of his arm, and ran with the others. Just as they reached the end, the dragon roared once more, and the entrance to the place they just left became blocked by rubble.

"Well, we made it." Ralof needlessly remarked. He took off the green cloak and handed it back to Mabel.

Agatha ran to Norman's side. "You're hurt!"

"Yeah, a little bit." He was still clutching his arm.

Dipper called Mabel over, and she looked at his arm, then summoned a glowing yellow light as she placed it on his wound. Within seconds, the pain dulled, and soon it was completely gone. She sighed in relief. "I love restoration."

"Where are we, Hadvar?" Ralof asked his old friend.

"I... I'm not sure. I've never been here before."

Dipper pulled out his local map. "We seem to be in the caverns below Helgan. If we keep going straight, we should come across a Y path." He flips the map over on the back, a list of notes written in neat, cursive handwriting. "But we should watch out for Frostbite spiders and bears."

Coraline shuddered. "I hate spiders."

"You are not alone in that one. Too many eyes, you know?" Ralof smiled, putting Coraline at ease.

They followed the path Dipper pointed out, water rushing at their feet, soaking their shoes. They reached the Y path, but one was completely blocked. "No way we're getting through there." Dipper muttered. He points to the only remaining path. "That's our only way out."

Neil picks up a coin pouch from a skeleton as they pass.

After trudging through the caverns a little ways, they here a scuttling sound. Spiders. Big, giant, hairy, venomous spiders. A lot of them. At least 20, maybe 30.

"Finally, a fight we can handle." Coraline smirked.

"I thought you hated spiders?" Neil pointed out.

"Oh, I do. They're grossgusting. But that doesn't mean I don't like killing them."

"Well you don't have to wait long!" Norman pointed to the spiders, most of whom now noticed the tasty humans who had wandered into their domain.

"Norman, can you fight?" Hadvar asked him.

"Well, I... I can use a bow. Somewhat."

Hadvar hands him his bow and quiver of arrows. "Defend yourself."

Neil stayed back with Norman, holding his own bow with ease. He already took out two of the spiders, only needing three arrows to do it.

Norman drew back his bow. He remembered how his father used to take him hunting. If only he could have brought himself to take up on it. The arrow missed it's target. _I hate killing things..._

Coraline immediately jumped into the front lines, with Wybie facing the opposite, fighting the spiders while watching each other's back. Coraline used her mace to bludgeon the spiders, beating them back as easily as if she was wacking small spiders with a scroll.

Wybie jabbed at the spiders in front of him, considerably less confidant in their ability to kill them all before they killed them. Still, he pressed forward, using his shield to his advantage, as an improvised weapon as well as a means of defense.

Mabel summoned her familiar, a slivery wolf, and mentally commanded it to defend her, as she made sure her companions didn't get killed in combat through her healing magic. Dipper summoned flames in one hand, and casted a bright light in another, resulting in the Spiders backing up from the light as they were torched. Agatha held sparks in both of her hands, zapping any spider that came near.

Ralof and Hadvar fought with their axe and sword, respectively.

Within minutes, all the spiders in the cavern were killed.

Mabel drank a magicka potion, and finished healing everyone's injuries.

"Wow, that was kinda fun." Wybie looked to Coraline, who was leaning against him, worn out, but not quite exhausted. She nodded in agreement as she pulled a stamina potion from her bag, downing it in one gulp. Within seconds she stood up and held out her hand to help him up.

"You kids sure know how to handle yourselves in a fight." Hadvar praised.

"Well, Wybie and I have trained for this since we were 8." Coraline explained. "Which is only 6 years, and we still have a lot to learn...but yeah, we can handle ourselves."

Ralof nodded in approval.

Wybie insisted on staying there a bit longer, claiming that the spider nests were an alchemist gold mine. He searched every last egg sac, with some help from Dipper, who seemed to agree with him, and came out with quite a haul of spider eggs.

"Those two are just complete dorks." Coraline deadpanned.

"Yeah, but they're our dorks." Mabel replied.

Wybie ran up to Coraline to point out the compexity of the spider egg, and how an egg sac keeps them alive, and just all round geeking out. Dipper and Mabel, meanwhile, looted the spiders for their venom.

"That's great, Wybie, really, but not half an hour ago you were panicking about the cave collapsing, which, by the way, is still a possibility." Coraline reminded him.

His eyes widened in realization.

Hadvar looked to Dipper once again. "So, where to now?"

Dipper pulled out his map. "We're not too far from the exit, we just have to get passed..." he gulped, "The bear cave."

"So, how are we going to get past those bears?" Neil asked, as they walked through the cave.

"Hopefully we can just sneak by. We shouldn't waste our resources on something so dangerous in it's own domain if we can help it." Dipper responded.

Agatha nodded. "That's a good idea, but what if we fail?"

Dipper turned to her. "Then defend yourself. A cave bear in Skyrim will rip you to shreds if it catches you." Agatha nodded in understanding.

The cave was large and mostly hollow. moss grew on the rocks and vines hung from the ceiling. A small creek flowed through the cave. The group leapt across as quietly as possible.

"There she is, see her?" Ralof pointed her out.

Coraline took charge. "Okay, here's the plan. We'll sneak past her one at a time, be as quiet as you can. Watch your step, and make sure you don't step on anything. No sudden movements. If the bear notices you, freeze in place. She might not see you then. If she does, scream and the rest will come running. Agreed?"

The others, except for Wybie, looked at her with suprised expressions.

"What?"

I just didn't take you for the leader type." Dipper responded.

Coraline narrowed her eyes, but continued. "Neil, you go first, then whoever's closest goes next, and so on."

One at a time, the group snuck past the bear. The extra caution allowed them to successfully escape notice, and they made it to safety without attracting unwanted attention.

"Well, what do you know, we made it." Wybie gave a sigh of relief.

"There's the exit!" Mabel pointed out the light from the cave opening.

"I knew we'd make it!" Ralof exclaimed excitedly as they all exited the cave, leaving the inevitable ruins of Helgan behind.


	5. The Calm Before the Storm

Hadvar and Ralof pushed the kids behind them, as a loud roar echoed across the sky once more, the dragon flying right over them, heading for the mountains.

"That was too close." Hadvar said.

"Looks like we're the only ones who made it." Ralof said. "Come on, Riverwood is not far from here."

"No."

The group looked to Coraline, who had a stubbornly firm expression on her face.

"No? Why not?" Hadvar asked.

"Okay, let me put it this way. We just got done running for our lives, escaping a dragon, fighting spiders, and hiding from a bear. Four of us were almost executed. I'm tired. And I'll bet the rest of you are too. We're taking a break. No more running. Do I make myself clear?"

Hadvar and Ralof looked at her, shocked.

"She does have a point." Norman told them.

Neil spoke up. "Yeah, plus Norman, Aggie, Ralof and I haven't eaten anything in two days." As if on cue, Norman's stomache growled loud enough for the whole group to hear.

Agatha looked to Neil. "You called me Aggie?"

Neil returned her gaze. "Well, yeah. It's like a shorter version of Agatha. Is... that okay?"

"Aggie..." Agatha gave him a small smile, "Yeah, I like it."

"I suppose we can stop for an hour or so." Ralof agreed.

The group gathered around in a circle outside the cave, in varying degrees of exaustion. Neil opened his satchel and pulled out the food he took. He sat down a cloth and placed a wheel of cheese in the center, and passed around bread and apples.

"So," Hadvar spoke up, "A traitor to the Aldmari Dominion... quite a resume for one so young."

Aggie tensed up, a look of fear in her expression. "You... You're not going to turn me in... are you?"

Hadvar gave her a look of pity. "That depends. What did you do?"

She looked hesitant. "I... I can't tell you. Please don't hurt me." Tears filled her eyes once more, as the Altemer girl looked at him with the same pleading expression as she did when she was about to be executed.

Hadvar rubbed his forehead. "Alright, at least tell me this... Did you hurt anyone?"

Aggie shook her hear franticly. "No, no I didn't."

"Alright then, that's enough for me. But others may not be so understanding, so be cautious."

Aggie gave a sigh of relief. She cut off a piece of cheese and spread it on her bread, taking a big bite, her eyes lighting up.

Wybie had already finished his share, as did Coraline, who was resting her head on his shoulder, asleep, a relaxed and trusting expression on her face. He smiles warmly. "You know," He started, looking down at her, "Coraline's usually so on guard when we're out here in the woods. It's nice to see her calmed down for once." His face reddens a little, and looks up. "Y-you know, 'cause she...she's always so stressed out, a-and...ugh, I... she's my best friend, and I worry about her, y-you know?"

Mabel snickered, but chose to let the matter drop. "Hey, Dipper, what's the big master plan now?"

Dipper pulled out a new map, this one seeming to be of the entire province Skyrim. We should head to Riverwood as soon as possible, and rest there. Then _we_ head straight for Winterhold."

"What? Why?"

Dipper looked at his sister in annoyance. "Because that's what we're here for. We can't afford any more delays."

"Oh, like how you delayed us in Helgan?"

"I said I was sorry!"

"I'm not ready yet! There's still so much to see, and I know you don't want to go there yet, either!"

"Will you two SHUT UP!?" Coraline bolted up and glared at the twins.

"Well, this is awkward." Ralof muttered. The twins looked to each other, embarrassed.

Norman watched the exchanges, his curiosity growing, but unwilling to ask any personal questions. He never spent this much time with this many people before. He usually kept to himself, which suited everyone else just fine. He was suprised they were still keeping him around, but it might just be his insecurities talking.

Hadvar stood up. "We should pack up and head for Riverwood. It's not too far from here. If we leave now, we can make it before sunset.

As the group continued to pack up, a lone girl sat in the trees, out of sight, but in full view of the campers. She gazed thoughtfully at the most facinating group of misfits she had ever seen...and that was saying something. _This should be interesting..._


End file.
